Ultimate Decades Challenge

Mackenzie | she/her | 30 Playing the Ultimate Decades Challenge by Morbid Gamer (Kosmic's Version) on The Sims 4. Current Family: The Hazelwood Family (1300s)

[mack-simmer]

hello!

welcome to my ultimate decades challenge! i'm mackenzie and i love history and the sims.

this blog will be devoted to the hazelwood legacy and will take place from 1300 to modern times.

disclaimers: i am not a historian so not everything will be historically accurate! because of the nature of this challenge, there will be heavy themes such as illness, war, death, poverty, and other forms of hardship.

from the beginning | family tree (spoilers)

gen 1: matilda & oliver | gen: 2: alaric & margery

1300s | 1310s | 1320s | 1330s

thanks for stopping by <3

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1334

Not much to update on this year, it was mostly spent trying to manage too many toddlers and infants, lol. So here's some pictures of farm life and family time!

Edward and Alaric went on a foraging trip together. Edward had a blast, but Alaric feels like he's getting too old for this!

Zelda and Faye continue to grow.

Edward spends more time working at the cemetary.

And that's pretty much it for 1334! Lots of birthdays to celebrate in 1335.

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1333, part 2

The Lord's Fest was a harvest's end feast that was provided by the lord of the village. The entire community would come together to eat, drink, and celebrate the end of the hard labor of the year.

The Hazelwood family gathers with the rest of the village to celebrate the autumn harvest with a feast provided by the lord and lady!

Everyone had a great time eating and playing!

The lord and lady hosted an archery competition which Alaric participated in, but did not win.

The local priest, Ignatius, also stopped by much to Edward's enjoyment. He loves talking to him and sees him as another father figure and mentor.

The Hazelwood family were happy, full, and tired by the end of the fun evening.

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1333, part 1

1333 brings lots of farm work but also time to play in the leaves!

Zelda and Faye aged into infants. Zelda (left) is has the calm trait; Faye (right) has the intense trait. Even though they're twins, they couldn't be more opposite!

Regardless, Margery is exhausted and takes naps whenever she can.

In the Holmes house, it's time for Samuel and Esther to age up.

Samuel ages into a toddler and Esther ages into an infant. Their uncle Alaric stops by for a visit and to bring them birthday presents.

In the fall of 1333, the entire family gathers for the Lord's Fest (which will be in part 2), but I wanted to get an updated portrait while they were all together.

Trying to enjoy the time spent playing with this family before we get to the 100 Year War and the Black Plague. I'm nervous to see who we'll lose..

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1332

1332 in the Hazelwood household seems to be off to a rough start.

But not for Edward! Margery takes him to the village cemetery, where he meets the local priest, Ignatius. They talk for a long time, and Ignatius is kind enough to answer all of Edward's questions about the cemetery and Ignatius' job. He asks if he can help tend to the graves and Ignatius agrees.

Soon it's autumn on the farm, and when Edward isn't helping Ignatius at the cemetery, he's learning archery. There's been talk of unrest between England and France, and Alaric thinks it's smart for Edward to learn how to defend himself.

Towards the end of the year, Margery goes into labor and surprise! It's twin girls. The two girls are very healthy and they name them Zelda and Faye Hazelwood.

Alaric and Margery definitely have their hands full.

In the Holmes household, Mabel and Samuel are spending time together while Nicholas is away on a foraging trip.

Mabel goes into labor and gives birth to a baby girl, Esther. 1332 was the year for girls apparently!

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1331, part 2

Later in 1331, Margery discovers she's pregnant again!

She's feeling extra tired this pregnancy and is resting a lot.

When Edward isn't playing with the animals or helping out on the farm, he's at his brothers grave. He loves talking to him and sometimes will sit there for hours.

He's started to develop an interest in death and begs Margery to take him to the village cemetery. She reluctantly agrees and Edward can't wait.

Meanwhile, in the Holmes household, Samuel ages into an infant and Mabel finds herself pregnant again!

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1331, part 1

It's been two years since the death of Piers, and while Margery and Alaric are still grieving the loss of their child, the farm is thriving and life is seeming to settle into a new normal for the Hazelwood family.

We also had a few birthdays this year!

Edward aged up into a child. He received the trait macabre, which seems fitting after the loss of his younger brother. He looks just like Alaric did when he was a child, but is a bit more quiet and sensitive.

Randolf aged into a toddler, and was given the silly trait. He's a lot more playful than Edward and reminds his parents of Piers.

The two brothers get along great and are very loving towards each other.

There's a lot of love in this household <3

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1330 - 30 years gone by...

Not much happened to the Hazelwood family in 1330, so I decided to do a 30 year update and re-introduce the current family members. Oliver aged into an elder, Randolf aged into an infant, and Mabel had her first baby!

Oliver Hazelwood (married to Matilda Hazelwood)

Born 1270 (Age: 60)

Traits: Family-Oriented, Loyal, Loves Outdoors

Matilda Hazelwood (married to Oliver Hazelwood)

Born 1280 (Age: 50)

Traits: Loves Outdoors, Family-Oriented, Cheerful

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Oliver and Matilda had four children: Alaric, Conrad, Mabel, and Rosamund. Rosamund died during the Great Famine in 1317 (age 7). Conrad ran away from home in 1323 and his current status is unknown.

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Alaric Hazelwood (married to Margery Hazelwood)

Born 1301 (Age: 29)

Traits: Optimistic, Cheerful, Horticulturist

Margery (Meadwell) Hazelwood (married to Alaric Hazelwood)

Born 1300 (Age: 30)

Traits: Perfectionist, Generous, Family-Oriented

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Margery and Alaric have had three children so far: Edward, Piers, and Randolf. Piers passed in 1329 (age 2) from drowning.

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Edward Hazelwood

Born 1325 (Age: 5)

Trait: Silly

Randolf Hazelwood

Born 1329 (Age: 1)

Trait: Sunny

Mabel (Hazelwood) Holmes (married to Nicholas Holmes)

Born 1308 (Age: 22)

Traits: Outgoing, Creative, Well-balanced

Nicholas Holmes (married to Mabel Holmes)

Born 1305 (Age: 25)

Traits: Animal Enthusiast, Good, Adventurous

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Nicholas and Mabel have had one child so far: Samuel.

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Samuel Holmes

Born 1330 (Age: 0)

(I don't know why he's yellow)

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1329

(cw: child death)

We're back at the Hazelwood farm for 1329 and Margery is pregnant again!

Alaric couldn't be happier. He loves being a dad and is constantly spending time with his boys when he should be working.

Edward is also very excited to have another sibling!

Meanwhile, the farm is continuing to thrive. Matilda and Oliver do what they can to help out as they get older.

Later in 1329, Piers ages into a toddler and is super cute!

He loves playing with this big brother and likes to run around outside.

One night, he gets up while everyone is still sleeping to go play outside. He ventures over to the nearby pond to splash and look at the fish.

Tragically, he wandered a bit too far into the water and couldn't make it back out. His parents found him early the next morning, but it was too late.

R.I.P Piers Hazelwood, 1327 - 1329

The stress and grief of losing a child sent Margery into labor.

Fortunately, both her and the baby were healthy. It was a bittersweet feeling, being both filled with joy and sorrow. The new baby was another boy, and they called him Randolf.

A few days later, the family gathered to say goodbye to Piers.

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taking a small break from ucd to explore paralives! :)

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1328, a big year for Mabel!

Piers has aged into an infant and is growing more day by day! He's a very happy baby and hardly ever cries.

Mabel also celebrated a birthday and is officially a young adult! Now that she's of age, it's time to make the arrangement between her and Nicholas Holmes official so they can get married.

The two families meet to discuss the dowry and when the wedding will be. Neither Mabel or Nicholas are very excited about the arrangement, as they still don't know each other well. Mabel has accepted that this is her fate and she's thankful that Nicholas doesn't seem to be a bad man. Nicholas, however, is having a harder time coming to terms with the fact that he'll be married to somehow he doesn't love, and doesn't know if he will ever love. Time will tell...

I wanted to take some updated portraits before Mabel moves out, so we've got our adults and our second generation family!

Soon it was a beautiful summer day and time for Mabel and Nicholas to wed! Matilda hopes that her daughter finds happiness in her marriage like she did, but she's definitely going to miss her little girl on the farm.

Mabel makes a beautiful bride, but she still feels a bit awkward around Nicholas and doesn't really know how to act. They get married and share their first kiss together.

I don't think either of them really know how to feel in this moment, but I hope they find lots of happiness!

Mabel and Nicholas move into a cottage on a small plot of land and begin to settle into their lives, tending to the land and animals.

And finally, a series of them being awkward together after their wedding night.

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1327

1327 starts off with Margery pregnant and Edward about to age into a toddler!

He's a pretty mischievous little toddler, but Alaric is a great dad and is always playing with him.

During the spring, Margery goes into a labor a little bit earlier than she anticipated. She did great though and the baby was perfectly healthy! They had another boy - Piers Hazelwood.

During the summer, the Hazelwood family and friends gathered for a Midsummer's Festival.

The Holmes family showed up so Mabel and Nicholas could spend a bit more time together. Mabel is still unsure about the prospect of being Nicholas' wife, but she thinks he's nice enough.

A bunch of them get together to play horseshoes and Margery destroys them all!

Edward had a fun day playing with his family, but quickly wore himself out.

All in all it was a day spent celebrating the summer season and being thankful for great family and friends.

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1326

Edward ages into an infant and is the most unimpressed baby I've ever seen.

Alaric and Margery soak up all the time with Edward as they can, and are enjoying being new parents.

Even Mabel is obsessed with her new nephew!

Midway through 1326, Margery finds herself pregnant again! The two are overjoyed.

Meanwhile, Mabel is now 17, and her parents begin discussing possible arrangements for her once she's of age. She doesn't love the idea of her parents picking a husband for her, but she accompanies them to the village tavern to meet potential suitors.

They meet with Walter Holmes, a farmer from a nearby village who has a teenage son, Nicholas.

Mabel meets Nicholas and they spend some time getting to know each other. Hopefully they get along!

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1325

The lord of the village has noticed how well the Hazelwood farm was doing, and has granted them more land! The Hazelwood family expanded their farm, creating more room for their animals and garden, as well as a small additional cottage for Oliver and Matilda.

With Alaric and Margery starting their family, Oliver and Matilda decided to give them the larger cottage since they don't need as much room anymore. Mabel is still living in the larger cottage as well, but she'll be coming of age soon.

Oliver and Matilda enjoying some peace and quiet in their new home.

During a visit with her sister Eileen, Margery goes into labor!

It was a long and hard labor, lasting almost 24 hours.

(So long that I almost took the childbirth mod out of my game!)

Finally, they welcomed their new son - Edward Hazelwood, the next heir.

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1324

It's 1324 and Margery is finally pregnant with their first child!

Her and Alaric are overjoyed and cannot wait to welcome the little one into their family!

Margery, however, is quickly learning that pregnancy can be tough as she deals with daily morning sickness.

Mabel and Margery head into the village together to get some things for the farm, and Mabel started asking Margery about learning the apothecary skill. It seems she might be interested in becoming a midwife!

The two are close friends now and end their day at the local tavern for a meal and a quick game.

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1323: heartbreak, secrets, and a spring celebration

(apologies this is a bit of a long one!)

By 1323, Alaric and Margery had been married for almost 2 years and had yet to fall pregnant.

Margery was growing increasingly concerned about not being able to bear children, so she asked around the village and discovered a recipe for a fertility potion. She started taking the potion once a month in the hope that it would help her get pregnant.

Meanwhile, Conrad had a birthday and aged into a young adult! His parents began discussing his future, and started to seek out a possible wife for him in nearby villages. But Conrad couldn't stop thinking about Thomas...

They still met up in secret of course, usually late at night. They talked about their dreams of being together and wondered what their future looked like knowing the world would never accept them.

In the Spring of 1323, the village gathered for a May Day festival!

There was food, drink, and dancing and everyone had a great time celebrating the season!

Alaric practiced archery, Conrad played a game of horseshoe, and the village blacksmith showed off some of his swords in a demonstration!

Conrad and Thomas even snuck off for a private moment, which was a bit risky...

Because his father caught them together! Oliver was furious at Conrad for continuing to see Thomas and told him that he didn't have anymore chances left. Conrad is to be sent off to the monastery to distance himself away from Thomas and the village.

Conrad cannot accept this. He would do anything to be with Thomas.

Late one night before he's supposed to leave for the monastery, he sneaks off with Thomas. They've hatched a plan to leave together for the city, find jobs and live together as "friends." Without saying goodbye to their friends or family, they head off on their journey.

Hopefully this won't be the last we see of Conrad or Thomas.

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1322

Margery settles into her new life as wife to Alaric by helping out on the farm and cooking meals for the family. She also set up an apothecary table for herself to study natural remedies and cures.

She enjoys being in nature and can often be found outside just enjoying the scenery.

Conrad found a new nearby market and decided to check it out one day. He found an old piano there and decided to give it a try.

Thomas happened to stop by and see Conrad, and was very enamored by Conrad's badly played music.

There weren't many people at the market so they decided to sit down and chat, and even shared a little secret moment.

Unfortunately, when Conrad returns home Oliver is there to greet him with bad news. Apparently someone from the village saw Conrad and Thomas together and found it suspicious. Oliver demanded that Conrad never see Thomas again...